Block 24 · pages 226-234
Chapter 4: Restrictive Relative Clauses – Subject, Object, Postpositional, Prepositional, and Generic Relativization
4.5 Relative Clauses
Tadaksahak has two types of RCs: restrictive (without sa) and non-restrictive (with sa). Restrictive RCs follow the head noun immediately. Definite heads require the determiner ayo (pl. ayondo). Indefinite heads lack ayo.
4.5.1 Restrictive relative clause
4.5.1.1 Subject relatives
Subject relatives are marked by the extraction marker nə-/ən- (glossed EXM) when the MAN marker is CV-shaped (sə- 'NEG.IMPERF', nə- 'NEG.PERF', tə- 'FUT'). EXM replaces the subject clitic. Before other MAN markers (perfective, b-/f- imperfective), EXM is dropped or assimilated. Examples: borá aɣo [ṭṭáw-kat néeda] 'the person who arrived here'; aaru aɣo [nə-nə-hunú húgu daw] 'the man who did not leave home'.
4.5.1.2 Object relatives
Object RCs leave no pronominal trace (gap strategy). The structure is: noun (DET) (DEM) [(NP) verb]. Examples: áʃʃaɣal aɣo [aɣa-mmáy nín ka Ø] 'the work I have for you'; he aɣo óoda [a-b-da Ø] 'what he did'.
4.5.1.3 Postpositional relatives
When an adpositional complement is relativized, the postposition is fronted to the left edge of the RC. Structure: noun (DET) (DEM) [postposition (NP) verb]. Examples: ni-n hinciní aɣo [se ni-f-kós-i] 'your goat for which you cut them'; záɣri aɣo [ká ni-ss-ə́bdəd-i] 'the day on which you bring them'.
4.5.1.4 Prepositional relatives
The instrumental preposition ənda is also fronted to the left edge of the RC. Example: ə́mmək aɣó [(ə)nda ay-tə-dá-a] 'the manner with which I will do it'.
4.5.2 Relativization of generic terms
Generic terms like hé 'thing' (which can refer to humans/animals) can head RCs (e.g., íttilla hé [nín aa-ka] 'whoever drinks from it').
4.5.2.1 Existential expressions with relativization
Expressions like 'nothing' and 'nobody' are based on the existential verb ʃí 'not be'. The RC follows the existential clause (e.g., [bor(a) a-ʃʃí] [máy i-múṇas] 'there is nobody who has camels'). The Tamasheq negative existential wə́rtilla behaves differently: the RC follows the negated noun, which is marked by ayo even though indefinite, and EXM appears (e.g., wə́rtilla borá aɣo [(ə)n-sə́-bun] 'nobody is immortal').
Keywords : relative clauses restrictive subject relative object relative postpositional relative prepositional relative generic existential
This grammar point in the works
Passages from the site’s works on this topic, with the page cited: the original text is authoritative.
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… .............217 né / náani / níina ‘…is/are here’ ......................218 4.4.2.1 4.4.2.2 nóose / níise ‘…is/are there’ ...........................219 4.4.3 Existential predications .........................................220 4.4.4 Locational predications .........................................221 4.4.5 Possessive predication .........................................223 Relative Clauses...............................................................226 4.5.1 Restrictive …
Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 9
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… rl DAT 3s₌do hé] thing a girl for which he did something 4.5.1.4 Prepositional relatives The instrumental marker is a preposition when it accompanies nouns. In relative clauses, the preposition is put to the left edge of the RC, exactly like the postpositions. In RC with the ənda, aɣo is always present. (202) a) ǝmmǝk manner aɣó [(ǝ)nda DET with aɣ₌tǝ-dá₌a]. 1s₌FUT-do₌3s how I am going to do it. (Lit: manner with which...) b) ṭ-á-ṣṣuḍ F-SG-ax aɣó [(ǝ)nda DET with the ax with …
Christiansen-Bolli (2010), A Grammar of Tadaksahak, a Northern Songhay Language of Mali, p. 250
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… ds of relativization strategies 2 Case recoverability strategies 2.1 Subject 2.2 Direct object 2.3 Oblique objects (including indirect objects) 2.4 Possessor 3 Restrictive relative clauses 3.1 The relative pronoun strategy and definite entities Descriptive attributes 3.2 The gap strategy and indefinite entities Existentials ho ‘this thing’ ne ‘place’ 3.3 Headless relative clauses 4 Nonrestrictive relative clauses 5 Left-dislocation of nominal constituents containing relative …
Christiansen & Levinsohn (2003), Relative Clauses in Tadaksahak, p. 2
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… p strategy, and one that uses the morpheme sa (hereafter, the sa-strategy). One parameter that distinguishes these strategies is whether the relative clause is restrictive (relative pronoun and gap strategies) or nonrestrictive (sa-strategy); this difference is reviewed in section 1. The parameter that usually distinguishes the two restrictive strategies is whether the referent of the head noun is definite (relative pronoun strategy—sec. 3.1) or indefinite (gap strategy— sec. …
Christiansen & Levinsohn (2003), Relative Clauses in Tadaksahak, p. 3